NEW YORK (AP) A federal judge on Friday refused to toss out terrorism charges facing an Egyptian Islamic preacher extradited from Great Britain and said she'll decide during a trial next year whether government references to al-Qaida being led by Osama bin Laden more than a decade ago and other statements are inflammatory.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest left intact the 11-count indictment brought against Mustafa Kamel Mustafa as she ruled on pretrial motions.
Mustafa faces trial in March on charges filed in Manhattan after his arrest in England in 2004. He was extradited to the United States last year. His lawyers had asked the judge to dismiss charges including conspiracy to take hostages, hostage-taking and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.
Prosecutors say Mustafa conspired with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon and helped to abduct two American tourists and 14 others in Yemen in 1998.
Defense attorney Joshua Dratel said he was disappointed that motions were denied but had not fully read the opinion.